Willimon "Reviews" Ehrman
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 07:58AM 
William Willimon (one of our favorite White Horse Inn guests) has "reviewed" Bart Ehrman's book, God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question--Why We Suffer? I put "review" in quotes, because as a former theological liberal himself, Willimon knows well the world Ehrman now seeks to inhabit and exposes Ehrman as a "poser" of the first order. Good stuff from Willimon who really knows how to turn a phrase. Click here: The Christian Century
Yet another church seeks to be "hipper-than-thou," promoting their "U2-charist," featuring U2 songs during their New Year's Eve communion service. I thought U2 was pretty much passe in most circles. Maybe they should feature "Coldplay" or "Porcupine Tree" next time. Click here: U2 music to set church’s communion tone | Religion | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Our old buddy Pat Robertson is at it again. This time, God told him that America's financial crisis would pass because Americans would willingly embrace socialism. According to Pat, God has gone Keynesian in his economics. Well Pat, some of us haven't and won't. Isn't it time for this guy to hide somewhere in shame? Click here: Pat Robertson: God says U.S. will accept socialism
Finally, this one will give you the police-state heebie-jeebies. Police secretly poking around in your hard-drive? Click here: Police set to step up hacking of home PCs - Times Online
Reader Comments (24)
The Bible, and Luther have much to say on this subject matter. It is clearly taking the Lord's name in vain, when a person says, "thus says the Lord", apart from the means of Grace -- the Word and the sacraments!
We speak to God in prayer. He speaks to us in His Word and sacraments.
Which reminds me, IIRC sometime around the end of this month is when James White gets a shot at him in a live debate setting. I'd hate to be the one on the receiving end of James White in any kind of debate and I expect that will be true of Ehrman, as well.
However, I also like Todd Wilkens approach towards these people. He just allows them the freedom of the microphone to say what he will and backs them into a corner with the questions he asks. He does not even have to use any kind of intimidation tactics- he just lets them dig their own graves.
But even though I consider them second only to Van Morrison and the Beatles in greatest-o-sity in any era, I still prefer my sacraments to be made out of water, bread and wine instead of vinyl or polycarbonate plastic. Who thinks up this stuff?
As regards embracing socialism, there must be some profit margin for PR to embrace this system, since that seems to be the driving force of so much of what he does.
Do all the people he hires on his show have to be Yes-people or they get fired? This lady was looking at Pat with google eyes and seemed amazed at the wisdom which was pouring out of him. I guess it would be hard to confront Jonathan Edwards due to his intellect and authority just as it would difficult to confront Pat Robertson if you were employed by him. He comes across as so humble and contrite does he not? Although he kept patting himself on the back with his great predictions from last year.
Economically, he definitely was coming from a Austrian economic viewpoint but admitted that the Keynesian ecomomic theory of Obama was going to get us out of the recession we are in. Although he did not mention the theory by name. Increasing government spending and cutting taxes will have the effect of boosting the GNP. The problem arises of how much is too much before inflation kicks in. There is always a lag time as to when the policies actually start to do some good and it is difficult to measure the effects quickly so as to know when to change the policy.
Some strategists are talking now of the Fed printing money and actually making loans to businesses and individuals directly instead of having to go through the banks. This would cause quicker effects to take place in the economy. Whether this is legal or not is kind of the issue in question from what I have been reading on the matter. National Debt also then becomes a problem which carries with it a whole nother can of worms.
Austrian Economic theory trusts the markets more than government policies. This has its own set of problems also though which I will not go into.
He might be worth listening to economically if he would just quit bringing God into the matter. God was not telling him a thing he was just spouting off various economic theories which he is obviously well versed on. That is mental laziness not having to try to verify the theories as they are put to the test in the economy. Saying that God is telling me that this is the best policy is baloney. It has nothing to do with God and everything to do with careful reasoning which God it seems expects us to do when governing ourselves.
God's Problem is with Ehrman and his lack of understanding.
Zrim how can you compare the Beatles and U2 both great in there own right. What about the Rolling Stones or Led Zepplin?
If the Fed decides that printing money to make more loans is necessary they have to be careful how much they print or this is what will cause inflation. The money is not adequately backed by other monetary items of value and therefore the money loses its value which is what inflation is. Austrian economics advocates bringing back the gold standand as that other monetary item of value. But Keynesians believe that the gold standard produces other problems which are more difficult to overcome during bad economic times. This is what the reconstructionists were pushing for back in the 80' snd 90's. The professors who I had at Calvin never thought much of the Reconstructionists and wrote many articles and papers against them during that time.
The Reconstructionists also did not agree with the government intervening in the economy in any way by fiscal stimulus or tax changes. This stuff used to be fodder for heated arguments back then. The reconstructionists often blamed Keynes homosexuality for the policies he used to advocate. So, I guess what everyone learned was that there really is no Christian blueprint for how to run governments or deal with economic policy. This is where Two-Kingdom theology holds such promise for Christians who decide to go into vocations in either politics or economics. It is best to just use your reasoning skills to deal with policy issues and keep your theology and religion out of it.
Good point.
I suppose personal preference, like the secret will of God, is "a labyrinth from which there is no hope of return" (Calvin). My point was less to compare great bands than to 1) question the misguided suggestion that U2 is "passé" or otherwise in any way un-great and 2) how asinine "U2-charists" are. FWIW, if one can draw that line one just might make a good two-kingdomite (!).
"If I'm hearing him right"- Apparently this was not a great connection and some of the words may have gotten garbled (funny in the Bible this never seemed to happen and the technology is so much better now), or maybe Pat is suggesting God was mumbling when he spoke (although again this was never the case in the old days).
This type of trivializing of God and claiming personal revelations of this type is just pathetic/appalling/outrageous. And yet apparently he has an audience that watches his program faithfully and sends him $$$ to keep him on the air and well provided for.
Where is the fear of God?
God has made amazing efforts to reconcile fallen humanity even though he did not need to- this is His love and grace. Evil is a broken relationship not a substance. We go a way that God does not want us to go and this is where evil comes into play and why we suffer. Evil is our fault- could God have prevented this? Yes, but then there would have been no original free will and we would be puppeteers on God's string.
Another way atheists frame the question is that if God does not deal with evil is He a legitimate God? The answer is that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. God is not obligated at any level to clean up our mess- but He does. We have no basis for complaining about suffering and evil in the world. The question then becomes not why do bad things happen to good people but why do good things happen to bad people?
Adam means mankind- we all sinned in Adam. We would not have done any differently than Adam did.
Now, Calvinists and Lutherans believe that our wills are not free anymore after the fall and it takes the monergistic work of the Holy Spirit to give us a will to respond to God's call to faith in Christ. But evil comes from the gift of free-will that God originally gave to Adam and Eve and which they abused and therefore were held morally culpable for the bad decision. Or, as Karl Barth called it the impossible possibility. Barth had no problem framing problems in contradictions like that. To us Lutherans and Calvinists it was a possible possibility and it really did happen.
Of course, atheists are going to respond by saying you do not really believe in Adam and Eve and talking snakes do you? And then they will start with the condescension again. But the above is an adequate explanation if you believe that the scriptures are recording actual history.
Which brings us back to Willimon who probably understood that Ehrman would react that way when he states in the beginning of the article that the professor has taken the common journey of many in the West who take God less seriously than themselves. And that Ehrman has shifted his radical subjectivity and narcissism from his former fundamentalism to his atheism. So, what is the point of making the argument at all according to Willimon. Until anyone admits that there is the possibility of objectivity they will always end the argument by going subjective on you and then declaring that they do not know what you are talking about. Or, that everyone is stuck in their subjectivity and we can do nothing about it. Objectivity is not a possibility for us according to Ehrman. And that is how they normally end the argument but at least we have inserted a bit of doubt into their position and hopefully the Holy Spirit will then choose to open their eyes.
Good Point
UK has so many surveillance cameras already. Don't think for a moment that this couldn't happen in the US. With all the enormous powers of Google to catalog our keywords and the URLs we personally use, data wicked Google has already agreed to hand over to the goverment. The UK may already be turning into the grandest tyranny on earth right now. Because, as Goethe said,
"The most hopelessly enslaved are those who falsely believe they are free."
It's fascism with a smile, and it's coming our way. Now more than ever, I REALLY feel inclined to memorize the Heidleberg Catechism, Q and A #1!! I don't think it ever meant as much to me before as it does now.